Montana Has Glaciers That Scientists Say Could Be Completely Gone Within Your Lifetime and You Can Still Hike to Them Right Now
Montana still has glaciers you can hike to today. Scientists say many of them may be gone within the lifetime of people visiting the park now.
That stark contrast is drawing fresh attention to Glacier National Park, where warming temperatures have sharply reduced the number and size of glaciers over the last century. Park officials and researchers say the ice is still visible on several trails, but the long-term outlook remains grim.
A famous landscape is changing fast
Glacier National Park was named for the hundreds of glaciers that once shaped its peaks and valleys. According to the National Park Service, there were about 150 active glaciers in the area that became the park in the late 1800s. By 2015, researchers identified just 26 glaciers large enough to meet the usual scientific criteria for active glaciers, down from 35 in 1966.
The losses have been tracked closely by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and Portland State University. In a 2017 study, researchers found that every glacier they examined in the park had shrunk since 1966, with average area loss of 39%. Some glaciers lost far more, with the smallest and lowest-elevation ice masses generally disappearing the fastest.
Scientists have long warned that the park’s named glaciers are not expected to survive indefinitely under current climate trends. Older projections once suggested many could be gone by 2020, but researchers later said year-to-year weather variability and local topography affect how quickly each glacier melts. Even so, the broader conclusion has not changed: continued warming means continued ice loss.
That matters beyond scenery. Glaciers help feed streams in late summer, influence water temperature, and shape habitat for fish, plants, and alpine wildlife. Researchers say their decline is one of the clearest visible signs of climate change in the American West, especially in a park that millions of people visit each year.
Where hikers can still see glacier ice
Visitors who want to see glacier ice still have options, though park officials stress that conditions can change with snow, rockfall, and seasonal trail closures. One of the best-known routes is the hike to Grinnell Glacier in the Many Glacier area. The round-trip hike is often listed at about 10 to 11 miles from the trailhead, with significant elevation gain, and offers views of turquoise lakes, cliffs, and the glacier itself.
Another popular destination is Sperry Glacier near Lake McDonald. Reaching it usually requires a long and strenuous route, often more than 16 miles round trip depending on the exact starting point and trail conditions. The glacier has shrunk dramatically, but it remains one of the park’s most recognized ice features and a striking example of how much the landscape has changed.
There are also viewpoints for Jackson Glacier, one of the easiest glaciers to see in the park because it can be viewed from Going-to-the-Sun Road. That makes it accessible to travelers who may not be able to complete a full backcountry-style hike. For stronger hikers, routes in the park’s high country can also offer views of remnants of ice fields and glacial cirques, especially later in summer when seasonal snow has melted away.
Park staff routinely remind visitors that glacier travel itself is not casual day hiking. Walking directly on ice can involve hidden hazards, unstable surfaces, and rapidly changing weather. Most visitors experience the glaciers from trails and overlooks rather than attempting technical travel on the ice.
Why scientists say time is running short
The underlying reason for the park’s shrinking glaciers is straightforward: warmer temperatures are causing more melt and reducing the amount of snow that survives from one year to the next. The region has warmed significantly over the past century, and scientists say mountain glaciers are especially sensitive to even modest long-term temperature shifts.
Researchers also point to the role of snowpack, cloud cover, summer heat, and wildfire smoke, which can darken snow and ice and increase heat absorption. A single snowy winter can slow losses temporarily, but it does not reverse the long-term trend. Glaciers need many years of favorable conditions to rebuild, and that has become much less common.
The timing of total disappearance is harder to pin down for any single glacier. Some higher and more sheltered glaciers may persist longer than lower-elevation ones. Still, scientists studying the park have repeatedly said that if current climate patterns continue, most or all of the park’s glaciers could disappear in coming decades, a time frame that falls within one human lifetime for many Americans.
That prediction resonates because Glacier National Park is so visible and so beloved. It is not a remote polar landscape seen only by specialists. It is a major U.S. destination where families can stand at an overlook, compare old photos with the present-day view, and see the loss for themselves in a matter of minutes.
What travelers should know before they go
For travelers, the chance to see glacier ice in Montana is still real, but it now comes with a sense of urgency. Glacier National Park drew more than 2.9 million recreation visits in 2023, according to National Park Service data, and summer demand for lodging, vehicle reservations, and parking can be intense. Visitors planning glacier-view hikes often need to prepare well in advance.
The park’s short warm season also shapes access. High-elevation trails can remain snow-covered well into early summer, while late summer and early fall often offer the clearest views of glacier ice and surrounding terrain. But those months can also bring smoke, afternoon storms, and crowded trailheads, especially in places like Many Glacier and Logan Pass.
Safety is a major part of the experience. Rangers advise hikers to carry water, food, layers, and bear spray, and to check trail status before heading out. Mountain weather can shift quickly, and the same warming trend affecting glaciers can also contribute to unstable slopes, high runoff, and changing trail conditions.
For many visitors, the appeal is simple. The hikes are beautiful, the views are memorable, and the glaciers are still there, for now. But the science adds weight to the trip. Seeing these ice fields today is not just a bucket-list moment. It is also a look at a landscape that may soon exist only in photographs, maps, and park history.
